r793-] 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
DESCRIPTION OF A VOLCANIC ISLAND 
RECENTLY FORMED IN THE VICI- 
NITY OF ICELAND. 
By the Chevalier Von LOwEnNuOoRN, Na- 
val Captain and Adjutant-General in 
the Danifh Service. 
N the {pring of 1783, a volcanic ifland 
I was formed in the vicinity of Iceland, 
which, according to the accounts of the 
navigators who that year vifited the coun- 
try, attraéted no fmall notice. The dif- 
coverer of it, who arrived juft at the time 
of the firft eruption, when fmoke and 
flames afcended out of the fea, relates that 
no ifland or any land could be feen, from 
which thefe flames could ‘originate.—-No 
wonder, then, that he fell into the greateft 
confternation, when, as he exprefles him- 
felf, he faw the waves on fire.—Captain 
and crew therefore conceived the notion, 
that the day of judgment was at hand; 
and took to their prayer and hymn-books, 
devoutly to prepare them{elves for their 
approaching end, But as no trumpet 
founded, as the fun remained undarkened, 
and the firmament undifturbed, they be- 
gan to refle&t farther what it might be, 
and at Jaft hit upon the thought, that Ice- 
land had been funk by an earthquake, and 
that this was the laft remains and ejection 
of Hecla, the well-known burning moun- 
tain on that ifland. Wholly .poffeffed 
with this idea, they were on the point of 
tacking about and returning to Denmark 
with the news of the dreadful event: but 
luckily, they had not proceeded far be- 
fore they got fight of the coaft of Iceland. 
The fite of the volcanic eruption lies 
only 72 nautical miles (15 to a degree) 
from the fouth-weft point of Iceland; and 
they had not difcovered any land: but 
having now been convinced of their mif- 
take refpecting the fubmerfion of Iceland, 
the fhip reached its deftined port, and 
completed its voyage. Ships that arrived 
afterwards faw a {mall ifland from which 
the volcanic eruption proceeded: and, as 
may well be conceived, always faw it 
under a different form. The fame year 
fmoke and flames were perceived. on the 
fhores next adjacent to Iceland. 
As there are numerous inftances of fuch 
volcanic eruptions in the fea becoming an 
ifland, this phenomenon attraéted the at- 
tention of the Danifh Government; and 
the following year orders were given to 
all fhips bound to Iceland, to examine the 
newly-formed ifland: but fo entirely had 
it vanifhed, that none of them either faw, 
- @r could difcover the fmalleit trace of ir. 
a> MontxHuy Mac, No, L. 
tered them farther afunder. 
Defeription of a new Volcanic Iftand. 685 
However, towards the end of the year, a 
very unfortunate accident happened, which 
was occafioned, beyond ail doubt, by 
fome rocks under water, the remains of 
the vanithedifland. 
A Danith. fhip of war, of fixty-four 
uns, called the Indfod/retten, was ex- 
pected back from the Eaft Indies; and in- 
teliizence had been received, that fhe had 
already failed from the Cape of Good 
Hope: but from that time nothing farther 
was heard of her until the year 1785; 
when the fhips returning from Iceland re - 
ported, that fome parts ot that fhip, and 
the long-boat, had been thrown on the 
coaft of Iceland. From all accounts, and 
a comparifon of circumftances, to me it 
appears certain, that the Indfod/retten 
foundered on this rock, which now no 
longer rifes above the furface of the fea. 
It is impoffible that {uch a long-boat can 
come out of a fhip, except it be done by 
the hands of men, even fhould the fhip be 
fhattered all to pieces. Now, not only 
was this long-boat driven on fhore whole, 
and in good condition; but they, more- 
over, found in it a box of wax-candles, 
but not a living foul. At the diftance of 
about a quarter of a mile from the boat, 
they difcovered feveral parts of the fame 
fhip, which were known trom the mark upon 
‘them. Thelfe varts, of different dimenfions 
and form, would not have been thrown on 
fhore fo near to one another, if the fhip- 
wreck had happened at a greater diftance; 
the waves of the fea, the currents, &c. 
muft undoubiedly, in that cafe, have {cat- 
Moreover, 
the fragments had been wafted to the land 
by the wind which blows in the direétion 
from the rock.—Befides, no. other traces 
of this misfortune had been noticed along 
the coaft of Iceland. 
From thefe circumftances I drew the 
conclufion, that the Indfodjretten had, 
after leaving the Cape of Good Hope on 
her return home, adangerous and adverfe 
paflage; for it is known, that in our 
Northern Seas in that year, ealt winds. 
generally prevailed. Very many flups, 
efpecially the fhips of war, prefer going 
north round England, to failing through 
the Channel: and probably the fhip may 
have been in want of fomething; as, for 
example, frefh water, and the like. The 
Captain was, at any rate, well acquainted 
in Iceland; for I myfelf had, fome years 
before, been there with him as Licutenant 
of a fhip under his command; he may, 
then, have been in (earch of forme of the . 
hacbourg of Iceland, when he had the mis- 
fortune, in the open fea, unexpectedly to 
Ns ftrike 

in 
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